MY BODYGUARD /JENLISA

7)The Truth

The truth was out. It came to light as soon as Tzuyu  returned to the room, accompanied by Jisoo  and Rosé. There really was no other way to explain how Jennie  was capable of incapacitating not one, not two, but three grown men and with the place crawling full of police, lying was out of the question.

After their statements were taken, both Jennie  and Lisa  were sent to the hospital to get a physical check-up. Jennie in particular, needed some medical attention for the cut on her arm. The blood had dried up into a clot by then and Jennie didn't think it was serious but everything had to be documented for the record. This wasn't anything new to her and she understood the necessity, so she tolerated the whole process graciously.

Running through her mind as the nurse treated her wound, was the conversation she had with Mr. Manoban. How worried he had sounded. How panicked he was. All those responses were typical of a doting father yet something bleeped on her mental radar. Call it instinct, call it a gut feeling, but something didn't feel right. The fact that he spent this much money to hire her. The fact that his anxiety seemed to come from a place that had been dreading this would happen. This break-in was not a random occurrence.

Naturally, Mr. Manoban  had ordered her to bring Lisa back to Seoul immediately. But Jennie  wanted a little more time. She needed some time to get hold of the assailants' statements first. Fortunately for her, they couldn't leave Singapore just yet. The police required them to assist in the investigations and to do that, they had to visit the police station the next day, after getting sufficient rest.

But another problem presented itself when they returned to the hotel. It was Lisa and her fear. They had sent Tzuyu to Rosé and Jisoo's room for the night and Lisa didn't want to sleep in another room by herself.

"I won't let you sleep alone either," Jennie replied, when Lisa voiced her concerns.

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.

"You can either come to my room with me, or I will accompany you to the new room and stay there with you."

Lisa's reply was almost instantaneous. "Your room."

Jennie nodded and without another word, took Lisa's hand and led the way. Lisa held her arm the entire time, holding on even after the door closed behind them. Understanding how traumatised Lisa must have been, Jennie was gentle with her, patting her arm while suggesting she take a shower before sleeping. Lisa nodded so Jennie  took out a clean nightdress of her own and handed it to her.

"What is this?"

"I thought you might want to change into something comfortable to sleep in."

Lisa had a little crooked smile on her face as she held up the oversized shapeless grey dress. "You wear this to sleep?"

"It looks worn but it's very comfortable," Jennie  answered, annoyed at the embarrassment that lurked inside. "It's okay if you don't want to wear it."

"Thank you."

Jennie's impending frown receded and she almost gasped when Lisa gave her a bear hug.

"Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome."

"I'm sorry you got hurt." Lisa pulled back and looked at the gauze on Jennie's arm. "I'm sorry. I wanted to apologise but it was late and you were angry and—"

"Shh," went Jennie, silencing Lisa with a finger on her lips. "You just went through something traumatic. Give yourself a break. Don't let the waves of guilt drown you now, okay?" Jennie  turned Lisa around and pushed her from behind. "Take my pyjamas and go take a shower. Then sleep. You need a good sleep to feel better tomorrow." She pushed Lisa into the bathroom and waved her on. She closed the door as Lisa stood there but just as it was about to close, Lisa cried out.

"Don't close the door!"

Jennie stopped and opened the door a little. "How about this?"

"This is better."

Jennie smiled. "I'll be just outside. Call me if you need help."

"Okay."

Seating herself on the couch, Jennie browsed the TV channels available. She settled on a documentary about a bad dog and leaned back to relax. As experienced as she was with dangerous situations, her heart still thumped extra hard when she thought of the men in Lisa's room. If the incident had such an effect on her, she could only imagine it would be ten times worse for Lisa , who was not only unprepared for such an attack but also ill-equipped to handle it.

The adrenaline in her body must have run out because the next thing she knew, a hand was on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake.

"You should take a shower too," said Lisa, looking freshly showered in a white fluffy bathrobe and wet hair.

Jennie stretched and stood up. "Go ahead and sleep. I won't be long." Lisa nodded as she rubbed her towel over her hair and Jennie went ahead to take her shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, Lisa was sitting on the couch in her pyjamas, watching the same channel.

"Why haven't you gone to sleep?" asked Jennie.

"I can't sleep." Lisa looked down at her hands and fiddled with her fingers. "I get the feeling someone is gonna get me when I close my eyes."

"This won't do. You have to get some rest."

"But I can't close my eyes. I'll get frightened."

"I'll lie down with you. If you're still afraid, I'll hold your hand." Jennie held out her hand. "Come on." She smiled when Lisa took it and brought the woman to the bed. "Get in," she said while climbing onto the bed. Lisa followed her lead and climbed in too. They got under the covers and turned to face each other. "Better?" Jennie asked.

"A little."

"Still scared?"

"A little."

"Hold my hand." Jennie reached for Lisa and wrapped her hand around hers. "Now, close your eyes."

Lisa did as she was told.

"Still scared?"

"Keep talking to me."

"Okay, what do you want me to talk about?"

"Tell me how you became such a good bodyguard."

"It's not a pretty story."

"I wanna know."

"Okay. Well, I should start by telling you how I learnt to fight." Jennie sighed. "I ran away from school and got into bad company."

"Really?"

"It sounds totally cliché, but it's true. A street gang leader liked me and made me her girlfriend."

"Made you her girlfriend?"

"Yes." Jennie held Lisa's gaze when the girl opened her eyes and stared unflinching, into her feline eyes. "Do you want me to let go of your hand now?"

Their unblinking stare continued until Lisa  looked away. "No. Continue with your story."